Elba, McConaughey Trade Tweets and Release THE DARK TOWER Footage
Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, stars of the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, took to Twitter today and traded veiled barbs before releasing new footage from the film:
.@idriselba You want the Tower?
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) May 2, 2017
To find the tower is my purpose. I'm sworn.
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) May 2, 2017
Then as the world’s last crusader don’t break your promise… you’re closer to the Tower than you know.
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) May 2, 2017
You know nothing of me.
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) May 2, 2017
I know this. Deal with it. #DarkTowerMovie pic.twitter.com/NdDw4qtD0w
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) May 2, 2017
I deal in lead. #DarkTowerMovie pic.twitter.com/IvpjVKFHCH
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) May 2, 2017
The footage included in the Twitter posts are public for the first time after being released at CinemaCon. This comes just prior to the release of a new trailer May 3rd.
The Dark Tower is based on a series of eight books, the first of which was published in 1982. Elba’s Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, is searching for the Dark Tower, which is the nexus of the multiverse, and upon finding it hopes to save his dying world. In opposition to the Gunslinger’s mission is McConaughey’s Man in Black. The film pulls elements and themes from all eight books, set in a mythical fantasy Western era. The books also connect to several of King’s other novels. King himself hinted that the film is a sequel to the book series, rather than a direct adaptation.
The Dark Tower is close, now. The Crimson King awaits. Soon Roland will raise the Horn of Eld. And blow. pic.twitter.com/rqGSKM3dWL
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 19, 2016
Arcel fed into that premise by telling Entertainment Weekly, “The hardcore fans of The Dark Tower series will know that this is actually a sequel to the books in a way. It has a lot of the same elements, a lot of the same characters, but it is a different journey.”
Fans have been awaiting the film for years as it languished in development hell, having been first optioned in 2007 by J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot. Following that, Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment had the rights from 2010 to 2015, then again along with Arcel as a co-producer starting in 2015.
Directed by Nikolaj Arcel and produced by Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, The Dark Tower also stars Katheryn Winnick, Jackie Earle Haley, Nicholas Hamilton, and Tom Taylor. It hits theaters August 4th.